"Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Monday that intelligence agencies will have to absorb budget cuts of at least $10 billion over the next decade, and information technology -- now accounting for up to 25 percent of the intelligence budget -- would be a prime candidate for savings. "If there's an area where we can bring about efficiency and savings, I think that's it," he told an audience at the GEOINT geospatial intelligence conference in Texas." more>>
That's just great. In the year of the most publicized, vicious, and nefarious cyber security attacks the world has ever seen, the US is going to cut IT spending from the intelligence budget? Meanwhile, DHS has issued a bulletin warning that the hacker group Anonymous is showing interest in hacking into industrial-control systems that operate critical U.S. infrastructure (SCADA.) From the bulletin, "Experienced and skilled members of Anonymous in hacking could be able to develop capabilities to gain access and trespass on control system networks very quickly."
Now, I understand that there is only so much money to go around and budget cuts are needed. However, threats are escalating and we're trying to save a buck in the precise area where we know a.) we're weak and b.) hackers are targeting and actively threatening. Hopefully our intelligence agencies can get together and right this ship here so that the term intelligence agency doesn’t become an oxymoron.
